Air India Crash Report: Why Were the Fuel Switches Flipped?

A preliminary investigation into last month’s tragic Air India crash, which killed 260 people, has revealed a critical mystery: just three seconds after takeoff, the plane’s fuel switches unexpectedly flipped from "RUN" to "CUTOFF," cutting fuel supply to both engines.

The Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, headed for London from Ahmedabad, immediately lost thrust and began descending.

According to the report released Saturday by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking, “Why did you cut off the fuel?” The other responded, “I didn’t.”

The report does not identify which pilot made which remark, nor who issued the final "Mayday" call before the aircraft crashed.

At the crash site, investigators found the switches back in the “run” position, suggesting the pilots attempted to restart the engines.

Flight data indicates both engines showed signs of relighting before the plane slammed into the ground at low altitude.

The report remains unclear on how or why the switches moved to "cutoff." Aviation experts are puzzled.

“Did they move on their own, or did a pilot do it? And if so, why?” asked U.S. safety analyst Anthony Brickhouse.

John Cox, another expert, emphasized that these switches aren’t easily triggered. “You can’t bump them accidentally.”

The cutoff function is typically used to shut down engines at the gate or during emergencies — none of which applied to this flight.

The pilots — both highly experienced with nearly 19,000 combined flying hours — had logged over 9,000 hours on the 787.

The AAIB has not recommended any action for Boeing or engine-maker GE at this stage.

Black boxes were recovered and analyzed, offering vital data for the ongoing investigation. A final report is expected within a year.